Electrically-heated vaporizer for internal-combustion engines



Aug. 28, 1923.

F. J. REED ET AL ELECTRICALLY HEATED VAPORIZER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 25, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTy Aug. 28, 1923 F. .J. REED ET AL ELECTRICALLY HEATED VAPORIZER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 25. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug, 23,

stares rare QFFEQEG I FREDERICK JAMES AND JOHN STYLE REED, 0F SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.

nrnornronrnv-nnn'rnn vsronrznn roe INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed. March 25, 1922. Serial No. 546,572.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Fnnmmrcx JAMES Reno and JOHN STYLE REED, subjects of the King of Great Britain, and residents of Southampton, in the county of Hants, Eng? land, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Heated Vaporizers for Internal-'(lornbustion Engines,

ot which the following is a specification.

sponding parts throughout the several figures thereof 7 Figures 1 and 2 represent a sectional. elevation and part plan respectively of one form of construction of a vaporizer accordance with our invention.

Figure 2 being a section on the line A A, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation and Figure 4C a part section of an alternative and preferred form of construction of vaporizer particularly adapted for automobile, aeronautical and like engines.

Referring to the said drawings and particularly to Figures 1 and 2 it will be seen that the vaporizer shown in these figures comprises a plug formed in two parts a and b the lower part or body a being screwed into the cylinder cover a whilst the upper part or cap 6 is screwed into and bears upon a seating e in the body a a fibre washer f being interposed between the two parts a and b.

The body a is formed with a hollow bulb g which is packed with suitable material such as insulating clay or porcelain h in which is inserted a carbon resistance i which is preferably arranged'as shown in the form of a spiral disposed around a central metallic rod and terminating at the point 70 in the lower wall of the bulb g.

The ignition wire} is attached to a rod or which passes through an insulating plug a inserted in the bushing 0 which is screwed into the wall p of the cap 6, and the head 9 of the rod m bears against the head 1' of a pivotably mounted rocking lever s the lower portion of said lever normally bearing upon and being in contact with the top of the rod 7'; The rod 7' is in two parts composed of metals having dilferent coefficients of expansion under the infiuence of the heat the upper part t of said rod being of copper with an insulated. knob u at the top which as statedabove bears against the bot tom of the rocking lever s whilst the lower part '0 and the fins 10 attached thereto are of steel.

Current passes from a battery or other suitable source through the ignition wire Z to the insulated rod m the rocking lever s and the rod m on which it is pivotally I mounted to the carbon resistance 11 making the same and the bulb g red hot and causing share between the lower end of the carbon spiral and the wall of the bulb g at the ,point is which places the portion of the bulb g at this point in a statejof incandescence.

The fuel valve is disposed at that the fuel impinges directly on the point is of the bulb g and is immediately ignited. After a few such ignitions of the fuel the whole of ture. The current is then automatically cut off in the following manner. The rod j expands under the influence of the heat and more particularly the upper portion t formed of copper consequently it rocks the rocking lever s and moves the head 0* thereof out of contact with the head. 9 of the insulated red we thus breaking the electrical connection and cutting 05.? the current from the carbon spiral e. In the event of the engine running slow or being stopped the 1 connection is reestablished due to the contraction ofthe rod 7 as will be obvious without further egrplanation.

If theen inc 1s given an extra load the bulb g and he rod 7' may possibly get overheated causing difliculties with the plug and the engine and to avoid this grave disadvantage the following arrangement is adopted as shown. 7 v

Adjacent to and in the path of movement of the rocking lever s is a wedge-she d fibrous block a pivoted at l to the bloc 2 which is Tadjustably mounted in asleeye 3 integral'viiith the cap 5 and maintainedin position by the sprin 4, the block a being in contact with abal valve 5 closing the orifice 6 for the admission of compressed air through the pipe 7 against the ball valve 5 unseating theball and allowing air to pass through the body of the plug and cool the bulb, the air flowing through the passage d around the fins w,

thence through passage 35 to and around the carbon spiral z and passing out through the passage 36. v In Figures 3.and lwe have shown an altel-native form of construction of vaporizer adapted; for automobile, aeronautical and like enginesf The bulb g packed with the insulating material it and the walls ofwhich are provided with the spirally disposed vanes 8 is disposed within a cylindrical-conmounted by the cap 6 depends within the taincr 9 divided intotwo compartments 10 and 11 by the vertical wall 12, and enclosed within a cylindrical casing 13 provided with the cover 14:. lhe bulb. g which is surcompartment 10 while the adjacent compartmerit-11 forms a gas cylinder or holder withef in which the piston 15 moves and from the upper. part thereof the outlet pipe 16 leads to the engine cylinder.

The upper end of the piston rod 17 is attached to one end of a rocking-lever 18 fu1-' crumed at 19 the other end of which is attached to the upper end of a vertical rod 20,

the'lovrer end of the rod 20 being normally in contact with a ball 21 closing the fuel valve 22which controls the admission of the fuel, such as a heavy oil. from the pipe 23 under pressure. to the pipe-24 spirally disposed around the wall of the container 9 and terminating at the discharge nozzle 24 The carbon resistance z is in the form of aiwedged shaped block so as to beselfadjusting and is disposed immediately .opposite orifice of-the discharge nozzle 24 and within the insulating material 12.. The.

construction and arrangemcnt'of the central rod t the rocking lever s the ignition wire Z and the insulated rod m are the same as described in connection with .the form of vaporizer shown in Figure l the electric" current passing to the carbon block a and the.

bulb g and making the wall of the latter extremely hot and being cut off automatically when the heat is sufl'icient to maintain the bulb at the requisite temperature.

The suction of theengine causes a partial vacuum to be formed in the induction pipe 16 causing the piston 15 to ascend, air being admitted to the underside of the piston through the inlet 25, thus rocking the lever .18 b means of the. rod 20 forces the v at the point I, In the event of undue expansion of the rod 7' due to over heating the consequent oscillation of the lever s forces the block a through was ball 21-ofthe fuel inlet valve 2201i its seat and admits :the iuelfto'thespira'l pipe '24 J which passes therethrough to'the nozzle 24.

and is discharged from thence in the .form

of'a fine sprag The air inlet valve 26 (Figure 4:) is disagainst the wall of the .bulb g and is immediately vaporized."

posed'in the lower part of the wall of the 5 f compartment 10 below the nozzle 24: and is opened by the Ipartial vacuum inthe induc tion'pipe to al ow a certain quantit of air, the amount ofwhich can be regu ated 'by rotation of the covering cap 27, operated by the lever 28, to pass into the passages 29 be- ,tween the wall of! the compartment. 10 and the bulb and between the vanes 8 and there mixes with the vaporized fuel vforming a highly explosive gas which passes through the passages 29 and the-portj30 in the wall '85 1 2 .into.the gas chamber- 11 and from thence through the pipe 16'to the engine cylinders as fuel. The oil which-does notvapor'ize where it is subsequently vaporized by the heat caused by the exhaust gases which enter the va ori'zer at 31 pass'around passages 32 tonne between the'wall of the container 9 i collects in the bottom ofi the compartment 10 andthe wall of. the outer casing 13 bythe vanes and pass out by. the, outlet- 34. Theseex haust gases in the course of their passage as described materially heat the whole body-of the vaporizer maintaining the bulb at the, requisite temperature, the

wall of the-outer casing 13 being covered with asbestos to prevent loss of heat by radiation, v

What we cla1m 1s:--i

. The ,combination-with-"an electi'ically heated vaporizer for internal combustion engines comprising a bulb,,a packing ofinsulating materialv within saidbulb, a carbon resistance disposed in said insulating material, means for passing an electric. current through said carbon resistance and meanswhereby a'hot' point is formed on the wall of said bulbof means for automaticallycutting ofi' said electric current when a requisite temperature .-has been attained thereby heated Vaporizer for internal combustion en- 2 The combination with an electrically ginescomprising a bulb, a packing of insulating-v material within said bulb, a; carbon. resistance-disposed in said insulating material, means for passing an electric current said carbon resistance, means whercb'ya hot jpointis formed on the .wall

- of saidbulb and means for spraying liquid fuelon said-hot point of means-for automatically lcutting of? said electric current resistance disposed in said insulating material, means for passing an electric current through said ,carbon resistance, means whereby a hot point is formed on the wall of said bulb and means for spraying liquid fuel on said hot point of a composite metallic rod, a pivotally mounted rocking lever contacting with the head of said metallic rod and an insulated rod contacting with the heady of said rocking lever.

4. The combination with an electrically heated vaporizer comprising a cylindrical container divided into two compartments, a bulb arranged in one of the said compartments and a gas reservoir in the other of said compartments, a piston operating in said reservoir, a fuel inlet valve, a fuel pipe spirally disposed around said cylindrical container and connections between said piston and said fuel inlet valve of 'means for automatically cutting ofi the electric current when a requisite temperature has been attained.

5. The combination with an electrically heated vaporizer comprising a cylindrical container divided into two compartments a bulb arranged in one of the said compartments, apacking of insulating material within said bulb, a carbon resistance disposed Within said insulating material, means for passing an electric current through said carbon resistance, means whereby a hot point. is formed on the wall of said bulb, a gas reservoir in the other of said compartments, a piston operating in said reservoir, a fuel inlet valve, a fuel pipe spirally disposed around said cylindrical container, connections between said piston and said fuel inlet valve, means for spraying fuel from said spirally disposed pipe on said hot point -and an air inlet valve, of a composite metallic In testimony tur'es.

FREDER =CK JAMES 'REED. JOHN ST" E REED.

whereof we afiix our signa- 

